Tom, and Sarah come back from work. They are preparing dinner.
"How did aunt Miyanne treat you?" Sarah asked Jazmine.
"I'll tell you later, after she goes back into the shed." Jazmine said angrily. She could see Miyanne's pudgy figure through the drapes.
"What are we having?" Aunt Miyanne asked.
"Why don't you use your eyes?" Jazmine asked.
Aunt Miyanne scowled. "Hey! You watch that tone with me!"
"Oh, so now YOU'RE telling people how to use their eyes?" Jazmine asked, crossing her arms.
"Jazmine, aunt Miyanne, why don't we try to be peaceful?" Tom asked.
"Why don't you tell you're bratty child that?" Aunt Miyanne asked.
Tom scowled. "She isn't bratty, aunt Miyanne. She's just upset." Tom looked over at Jazmine.
"Jazmine honey, come on."
Tom, Sarah, and Jazmine walked somewhere more private.
"Jazmine what's going on?" Tom asked.
Jazmine sighed. "Aunt Miyanne made me clean her shed today. Before I started, I came in to ask if she wanted her linens washed. Then she shouted at me, really loud! And she swore. I got really mad, and she covered her ears, and said 'I can't hear you LALALA." Then I told her I hated her, and wanted her to leave. So I went upstairs and decided to become Jazmine Starflake, like you said daddy. So now I am Jazmine Starflake, and my new challenge is aunt Miyanne."
"She shouted at you?"
"Yes, and she told me to back off. But before all of that she called me 'dear.'"
Tom and Sarah looked at each other. "She has to go." They both said simultaneously.
They walked back into the kitchen, where aunt Miyanne was chugging from a beer bottle.
"Y-You know WHAT? I'mma pimp my RIDE!" She said. She took another swig from the bottle.
"Aunt Miyanne, are you drunk?" Tom asked. Sarah covered Jazmine's eyes.
"Well, sir there's beer in the shed, s Whoop-dee-doo!" She said, rocking the kitchen chair.
She stood up, "I-I'm going to...going to go back. Back to the tunnel of LOVE!" She shouted the flat note. "Back." She slurred, her underpants exposed.
"Aunt Miyanne. Please pull up your pants." Tom cringed, trying to sheild his eyes.
"What-evurrr." She said, and she walked outside to her shed.
Sarah turned to Tom. "When should she leave?"
"Well the contract says..."
"Tom screw the danm contract! She's abusing our daughter!"
Tom looked down at his innocent daughter, then back up at Sarah. "You're right. Let's go and see where she can stay."
Jazmine let go of her mother's hand, her eyes shimmered. "You mean? She's LEAVING?" she asked.
"That's right, honey." Tom said.
"YES!" Jazmine cheered. "Can I tell her?"
"Well the contract says that she stays over for a week, but it can be anywhere in the area. Here." Tom said, he pulled a brochure from his pocket. "Give this to her and tell her about the Yangsteen Hotel, and say that I'll drop her off there."
"You got it!" Jazmine said, happy. She walked outside.
Tom, and Sarah still stood in the kitchen. "You know, Tom, this week has been pretty stressful."
"Especially on Jazmine."
"Exactly. We should go somewhere relaxing, as a family." She said. "Do you want to look at some places to go?"
"Sure, why not?" They both walked upstairs.
"No more aunt Miyanne! No more aunt Miyanne! Good Luck? Good riddance! No more bum pickings, no more spam!" Jazmine cheered along to her dance routine. She knocked on the door, with a lyrical beat. "Aunnnt Miyaaaaannne." Jazmine sang.
No answer.
"Hmmm." Jazmine thought curiously. She knocked three times.
"Aunt Miyanne?" She asked.
No answer.
Jazmine was slightly worried.
"Aunt Miyanne, aunt Miyanne, aunt Miyanne." Jazmine knocked.
The door creaked open, slightly and loudly.
Jazmine stepped inside, aunt Miyanne was sobbing.
"Aunt Miyanne?" Jazmine asked.
"What have I done, Jazmine?" Aunt Miyanne asked. She sat on the bed. "Why have I done what I've done? Why am I so cruel?"
"Oh, aunt Miyanne." Jazmine said, feeling sympathetic, but keeping her distance. "Nobody's perfect."
"I-I know, but when I saw your pictures." Aunt Miyanne said with a sob "I saw him."
"Who?"
"That little boy in your drawing. I remember that I've seen him somewhere before...when I went to Chicago, there was a little boy, he was handing out fliers. He had the same afro, and face, as the one in your picture." Aunt Miyanne said, accentuating her gestures around her head, as if she were combing an invisible afro, with a depressed impression.
"It was raining outside, raining terrible. He walked up to me and told me somethin' 'bout the gov'ment, and he handed me a paper." Aunt Miyanne said, her arms shaking. "B-But in that moment, that solemn little child...he smiled at me." Her voice, now breaking, and a sad smile appeared on her face, Jazmine's heart would've shattered right there, if wasn't beating so hard.
"You know what I did? What I told myself? That he was trying to rob me." Aunt Miyanne said, guilt and pain swam under the river of her sadness, and vulnerability.
"So I shouted, 'Get away from me, lil' nigga!" Aunt Miyanne shouted. She rose from the bed, Jazmine's heart pounded from the sudden action. Aunt Miyanne looked more excited now, she turned to face Jazmine."Then I pulled out my pepper spray, and got him in the eyes." She reenacted the scene, a part of her looked righteous.
"Then a passing car went by, and I heard a sound." Aunt Miyanne dropped back down on the bed. Her voice dove down into a scared whisper. Jazmine didn't move from her spot on the bed, the only movement on her face, was the trembling in her eyes.
"I never looked again." Aunt Miyanne said. "I haven't thought of that day for some time now." She said, looking at jazmine with wild eyes. "For a while, I thought it was the right thing to do. You're the first person I've ever told." Aunt Miyanne said. "But because of me, that lil' by could be dead. Because I was dumb. Because I was blind. Blinded by hate, and paranoia." She sighed. "When I saw your picture, I thought it was a sign that my past will come to haunt me."
Jazmine looked at her. She almost got Huey killed. Jazmine wasn't sure what to do now. Should she let aunt Miyanne live with this pain on her shoulders? Should she let aunt Miyanne live a lie?
What if that boy wasn't even Huey? What if aunt Miyanne really did get another boy killed? If she never saw the body, how could she know?
"Well I want you to know that the litte boy in that picture is alive." Jazmine said.
Aunt Miyanne got up from her sobs. "What?" She asked, she sniffed.
"He's alive, he's my best friend, and he lives right across the street.I've told him everything about you and your stay. He thought it was funny when we got you here in the shed, he doesn't like you, and doesn't even want to know your side of the story. I tell him everything everyday, whether you see it or not." Jazmine finished. She took a photo from her pocket. "Was this the boy?"
Aunt Miyanne gasped. It was a photo of Jazmine and Huey standing in front of the Freemans' house. He was scowling, and Jazmine was laughing in the picture.
Aunt Miyanne studied the photo. Was this the boy? Could it be?
"Nope. It's not him." Aunt Miyanne said, she started laughing. "WOOOOO! You're so gullible kid."
"What?" Jazmine asked. "You mean you made that up?"
"Every single word." Aunt Miyanne said. "Just testing if your brain works or not. Ha ha! I recognize this nigga from when the two of you were playing in the dirt!"
"Here." Jazmine said. "It's the Yangsteen hotel. My daddy's driving you there. You want to complain about it, get the heck off my property." Jazmine said.
"Hotel? Why?"
"Because you can act like a pig there, and no body cares. I hope your maid robs you." Jazmine said. She walked in the house. "Don't ever lie to me again."
Jazmine walked in the house, feeling powerful. She was Jazmine Starflake! If that really did happen, she would have to tell her parents, and Huey! Then Huey would come in, and they would fight!
Tom, and Sarah were up in their room, researching places to go for a nice vacation.
"Wow, this place is beautiful." Tom said.
"I know, and we can afford it too." Sarah replied.
"Let's book it." Tom said. "Jazmine! Your mom, and I have something to tell you!"
Meanwhile at the Freemans' house.
"Just one more week, boys, and we'll be doing it big!" Grandad said. the family was in the living room. Riley, and Huey sat on the couch.
"I can't wait to go there. I looked up the money stuff, and if I bring a less than a penny, I'mma get treated like a king! The way a nigga deserves! I'mma get me some hoes, bling, and rims!" Riley said, his upper body moved quickly.
"That's not true." Huey said, looking up from his book, and scowling at his brother.
"It is true, man! Look it up!"
"I don't need to look it up. You really expect to get that stuff for free?"
"Why wouldn't they give it to me. To them, I'm a rich American. All I got to flash is some pocket change, and they'll be like 'Damn, that's Young Reezy!"
Huey scowled at his brother. He got up, and went upstairs.
"Huey you a hater!" Riley shouted from the living room.
Grandad scowled at Riley. "Why dn't you leave your brother alone? Don't you think he knows that already?" Grandad asked.
Riley laughed. "Yeah, Grandad."
Grandad still scowled. "Hmmm." He grunted.
Huey walked up to his room, and collapsed on his bed.
"It's only been four days, and I'm still feeling the same about her." Huey told himself.
"Jazmine. Danm." He said. "No one else has made me feel like this. It changed me." He told himself. He observed his changes.
"I care about what I say to her, and how I say things to her." Huey said. "I would do anything to protect her, and help her." He said. "Maybe I've always felt this way, but I couldn't accept it until now." He sighed, still looking at his changes.
"I used to berate her for her trusting ways, and her innocent views, but after seeing the world through her eyes, it makes sense she would be so trusting, so benevolent." He continued.
"I love her." He told his room. "But what do I do now?" He asked himself.
He hears Riley walk up the stairs. "Hey Huey. I just got this vison of what's gon' hapen when we go to Bora Bora." He said.
"I don't really want to know, Riley." Huey said, disinterested.
"Oh, come on, man. You spoilt stuff for me, now it's my turn." Riley said, pointing to himself.
Huey sighed. "Fine."
"Okay, here's what'll happen: Grandad will tell us a boring story on the plane, and we'll be like 'quit it, man.' Then once we get there, there's going to be like this big parade or somethin' special waitin' fo' us, right? Then we party for like the first night, and go to our hotel. Then all I do is flash a quarter, and we're treated like Kings for the rest of the trip. While you'll be like 'This is bad, that sucks. Y'all must be trippin'!" Then you start using words I've never heard of before, like...like..."
"Caesious, dasyphyllous, valorization, facetious, juggernaut, callionymus, inductive, arbitrary, inosculated, zensostrpay, hellinious..." Huey rambled random words, to prove Riley's point.
"Stop, stop stop! See? Exactly like that!" Riley exclaimed.
Huey smiled. "I can read you like a book!" Riley said.
The smile was gone. "I thought real niggas don't read."
"Oh yeah. I don't want to be too knowledgeable, it might ruin my street cred."
"Oh, you're not in danger of that." Huey joked.
"Hey man, what's going on wit'chu?" Riley asked.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well you seem like a...happier, less gay person." Riley said.
Huey looked at the ceiling, then he thought. What do I have to lose?
"I'm in love with Jazmine." Huey said, directly.
"What?" Riley asked, surprised. "How?"
"I saw a drawing that she did, and I just decided." Huey replied. "Now, I don't know what to do."
A bell went off in Riley's head. He remembered he talked to Jazmine about this!
"You know I talked to Jazmine a while ago, and she loves you too." Riley said, "She made a big deal about it!"
Huey looked at Riley. "She told you?"
"Yes. I always suspected somethin'. I can't believe you didn't see it. Man it's so obvious..."
"When did she tell you?" Huey asked.
"I don't know, 'bout two weeks ago." Riley responded.
Huey felt a rise in his stomach. He knew exactly what to do.
Grandad was sitting in the living room, enjoying a nice nap on his chair.
RING! RING! RING!
Grandad woke up to the jarring sound with a jolt. He picked it up.
"H-Hello?" He asked.
"Hey, Robert." Tom said.
"Uh, hey Tom." Grandad said.
"I wanted to let you know that Sarah, Jazmine and I are going to Bora Bora! Exciting, right? Around the same time as you."
Grandad's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. No! This wouldn't be exciting! This ruined everything! He could hear Jazmine cheering in the background.
"That's great Tom. You booked this today?"
"Yep. See you there, pal!" Tom said.
"Yeah, yeah." Robert said, and he hung up.
Grandad got up. "NOOOOOOOO!" He moaned.
Huey and Riley were still up in their room. "Kids! The trip's cancelled!" He shouted.
"NOOOOOOO!" Riley shouted, he fell to the floor. Huey rolled his eyes at his over dramatic eight year old brother.
Meanwhile at the DuBois' house, Jazmine excitedly read through the brochures.
"Oh Mommy! Daddy! This'll be the best trip! The best trip!" Jazmine said, excitedly, still wearing her bandana.
"Oh I know! This'll be one of the big ones!" Sarah said, happily.
The family all sat around the living room.
"I just called Robert, we're going the same time as he is."
"So it'll kind of be like we're all going together?" Jazmine asked. "Wow." Jazmine went up to go to the washroom. She took a traveller's guide with her.
"What the hell are you all talking about?" Aunt Miyanne shouted from the top of the stairs.
"What trip are we going on?" Aunt Miyanne commanded.
"Sarah, Jazmine, and I are going to Bora Bora!"
"What? Without me? This is bullshit! You ship me off to a hotel, and go fucking travelling?"
"Earlier you said you'd rather be at some stinky bleep hotel, than here with us."
"Boy, I didn't say 'bleep' who the fuck says that?"
"I've heard many people say bleep." Sarah said.
"What-evurrr." Aunt Miyanne said, now standing at the top of the stairs.
"Grandad what do you mean we're not going?" Riley moaned.
"How can we go with Tom following us around?"
"You don't know that's going to happen! What if we just avoid them during the trip?" Riley said
"I'm telling you, we won't enjoy the trip."
"Do you hate us, Grandad?" Riley asked.
"Maybe I'll say you two got sick! Got, uh...pneumonia."
"No!" Riley shouted. "You can't do this? Have you lost your mind?" Riley said. "You're crazy!"
Huey sighed, he went over to the phone.
"This is it." He told himself. "I'm going to do it. Just press that button, and speak. How hard is that?" Huey said. "Hoooo." He breathed. "It's getting harder than I thought."
"Hmmm." Huey thought, "Maybe I should have a better atmosphere. Should I play music over the phone? She likes Usher"
He later thought of just showing up at the house, it was practical, since it was only across the street. "I can't just GO over there, Tom, and Sarah would see! And that aunt of hers." Huey whispered to himself. "Hmmmm." Huey thought. "I'm overthinking this." He said.
"I'm sorry, aunt Miyanne, but we've already booked our tickets." Tom said.
"Fuck yo' tickets. Where's yo' daughter?"
"Aunt Miyanne, you should stop." Tom said. "I don't want to make you the villain here, but you do things that are not appropriate as a guest. So I really think you should go. I'll help you pack." Tom said.
"No! I don't want yo' fingers all over my valuables!" She feared. She quickly ran down to the middle of the staircase. Until she slipped.
She was tossed through the air, and landed on her hip. "OW! My HIP! I BROKE MY HIP!"
"We've got to get you to the hospital!" Sarah shouted. Tom carried his aunt, and Sarah opened the door. The three rushed to the hospital, leaving Jazmine alone in the house. She had fallen asleep in the washroom.
Huey watched as Tom's SUV rushed away. The lights were stil on in the house. He thought. Jazmine must still be there. He didn't see her leave.
"Well, I could try." He thought. His brother and Grandad were still arguing. Riley was now pleading with Grandad.
Huey put the phone to his ear, drumming his fingers impatiently against the kitchen counter. "Come on, pick up." He said. His heart raced. He was enthusiastic, and terrified, as if he was at the peak of a roller coaster, and could see the curve of the earth.
Jazmine snored peacefully on the toilet. Imagining the adventures of Jazmine Starflake.
The war was over, and Derrick was in a fetal position on the ground.
"Derrick." was all I could utter. I bent down, and stroked his hair. "I've never seen you like that before. Are you okay?" I asked.
Derrick sat up, looking at me with his dark eyes. "He got away." He told me.
I tilted my head lovingly. "That's nothing to be ashamed of."
"What are you talking about? The leader of a menacing group of tyrantsis free. I had the chance to destroy and all the damage I did, was just a slap on his wrist."
"We'll find him." I said. "We always find them."
He gave me a tired smile. "Thanks for not kicking me to the curb, Jazz."
I took his hands in mine. "I would never kick you to the curb. I haven't seen a street in a year."
Derrick laughed. I did too.
RING RING RING
Jazmine snapped out of her daydream. The phone? I've got to work on my concentration, Jazmine thought.
"Mommy! The phone is ringing!" Jazmine shouted. "Mommy?"
Jazmine finished up in the washroom, and walked to the living room. "Hello? Is anyone here."
Where were her parents? Jazmine went to check the bowl in the foyer.
"Huh. The car keys are gone. I guess they went out." Jazmine said. She slept through the entire catastrophe.
The phone was still wailing away. Jazmine was told not to answer it when no one was home. She decided to go upstairs.
"You've reached the DuBois residence, please leave a message." Tom said on the machine.
"Uh...it's Huey Freeman, I must've called at an inconvenient time. I've got to go. Bye."
"I can't do this over the phone." Huey told himself.
What he didn't know was the message was unheard. He thought of something.
"Hey Riley!" Huey shouted. "Come in here!"
Jazmine sat on her bed, thinking where her parents went.
"Maybe they went to drop aunt Miyanne off at the hotel...but she's really an alien! Yes, that explains it! She's an alien, and took mommy, and daddy to her spaceship. Or maybe they were driving, and they were taken off of the road because they were getting chased by a boulder! Now they're driving in the forest and they met a society of talking animals. Now they made friends, and never want to come back home! Or maybe they have a car that can turn into a boat, and they drove to Atlantis! Yeah, then they left aunt Miyanne there, and they gave her a potion. So now she's a mermaid, and can never come back!" Jazmine said aloud.
"Did you hear that, Mrs. Wellington?" She asked her doll. "I know, don't worry. If they get lost, the animals will guide them back home." She said, stroking the doll's hair. "They might even come back on giant birds! We might even get to keep one. If it's a boy, I'd name him Xerxes or Xavier. If it's a girl Athena or Spirina."
The phone rang again. "Oh! What's going on, now?" Jazmine said, she put the doll down gently, and walked to the kitchen.
Huey stood in the foyer.
"So you won't do it, right Grandad?"
"I just don't know. I'm going down to the basement. All this damn shouting, damages my nerves." Grandad walked down to the basement.
Riley looked at his brother, and nodded. "Good luck, man." He said.
Huey, nodded once, and he headed outside.
Jazmine was in the kitchen, the phone rang again.
"Who could that be?" She asked herself. She checked the caller i.d.
Robert Freeman
"Mr. Freeman is calling?" She asked. She shrugged and picked up the phone. "Hello?" Jazmine asked. The doorbell rang. "Jazmine." Riley said.
"Hi Riley. Someone's at the door." Jazmine said. "I'm not answering it."
"Jazmine."
"Yeah, Riley?" Jazmine asked, sweetly.
"If you two get together...try to make Huey less of a bitch."
Jazmine realized everything, when Riley said those words, it all clicked.
She looked through the peephole, and smiled. She opened the door wholeheartedly.
Huey was standing outside.
He looked perfect. Jazmine thought.
She was still on the phone. "I'll think about it." She said, referring the quick conversation she had with Riley. They both hung up.
"Jazmine." Huey said, looking at her. "I love you." He said.
Jazmine's heart soared. She felt fireworks go off inside. She grabbed him in a hug. She lightyl touched his hair. She felt him hug her back. "I love you too." She said.
They both stood in the foyer, feeling absolutely perfect. For one moment, they stood in blissful silence.
"You should probably delete those messages." Huey said.
Jazmine laughed, Huey joined in. They let go of each other.
Jazmine held Huey's arms. He took her hand, and led her to the porch swing.
They borh sat next to each other, feeling perfect.
"What happens now?" Jazmine whispered.
"We'll just have to see." Huey said.